What is the proper use/purpose of rockets?

I recently unlocked the 12x rockets on my P-38f and I'm not sure how to use them.

The bombs were simple enough. Zoom in, drop them on a couple targets, then proceed to play the rest of the match as a Heavy Fighter do.

The rockets I'm not so sure about. They don't seem to be as viable for ground target destruction as the bombs, and hitting other aircraft seems nigh on impossible. What are rockets intended purpose and how do I use them effectively?

Edit: 11:02AM: I just realized this was posted in guides, and not the newcomers forum. Can I get this moved please?

Most people, like myself, use them on non-moving things like ground targets.

Some people, unlike myself, use them very effectively to blow up enemy planes...

One cool aspect about using rockets as a weapon for dog fighting is their blast radius can cause collateral damage to other planes close to the primary target.

On more than one occasion I have seen individuals take out more than one plane at a time using a rocket (more so in previous WoWp versions).

Unfortunately, using rockets as a weapon for dog fighting takes a LOT of practice. There are specific characteristics of each rocket which you need to understand in order to use them effectively against enemy planes. Knowing when and where to fire them is critical, otherwise they make kinda cool fireworks...

In the case of GAAs, I find they're better used in a barrage or to finish off a weakened target without having to shoot it. That last one helps when you have to bail out of a sector but haven't finished destroying something; just launch a couple of rockets and run away while they're still traveling

So if I were to attempt to use the P-38f's rockets in air combat I'd probably need to shoot a burst of them? I get 12 of them and they are the 4.5" rockets.

They definitely will take some time to get use to. They seem to have a mid of their own when it comes to where they decide to fly.

But I assume when using them in head on I'd want to bump the nose up right before I fire them? They seem to fly below where you aim... Hopefully the later rockets get easier to aim. I'm gunning for the Pancake with those Tiny Tims.

Depends on the rocket. Some are lightweight and better at swatting head on fools or slow moving bombers and GAAs. Others are heavyweight and suitable for attacking ground targets

The only salvo-firing anti-air rockets in the game are R4M used by 262, HG2, and the B&V Multiroles with BV215 sporting its unique, improved variant...and the "Mighty Mouse" FFAR rockets exclusive to the F-94D. All of these are top-end planes.

The other rockets, the Russian 82 and 132mm rockets, US 4.5 and 5 inch rockets UK's RP-3 rockets, and German WGr-210 are meant to be shot at targets, but they may catch planes in a surprise. Flying slowly behind bomber flight that only know how to go straight, it can blast them off the skies with a careful aim. The individual blasts don't deal much damage and planes with four digits of HP can survive a salvo or even two.

The Tiny Tim extra-large anti-ship rocket used by XF5U and the Thunderjet family is truly meant to smack at ground target with its massive blast radius and damage...it even gets its own icon in modules. The Thunderjets can mount two of these along with a dozen of HVAR. These rockets might be able to catch a plane with its massive blast but needs one heck of a lead and good luck.

Rockets tend to surprise people who are not familiar with the fact that they can actually be used in A2A fashion...fire enough during head-on and some *might* catch the target, killing them instantly in most cases. Randomly shooting into furball might yield some result...or you end up blowing some of your teammates to pieces...Leading with rockets is rather difficult...

Bottom line, anything not R4M and FFAR should be shot at targets to quickly capture a sector...should you get caught in a head-on with rockets on your launchers, they might just save your plane by blowing the enemy up before they shoot you up...

Note: The 4.5" rockets aren't damaging enough to damage ground effectively in its usable tier. You might as well save them for head-ons. If a sector is on the verge of capture you can consider shooting them at some targets to finish the job before someone goof and undo all the efforts.

Edited by pyantoryng, 22 December 2017 - 04:50 PM.

WoWP makes a great jousting game...especially with the 262 and people busy in furballs...
I am deaf, silent, and fly with unrealistic controls. Do not count on me to carry - my back's already broken from overweight.

So if I were to attempt to use the P-38f's rockets in air combat I'd probably need to shoot a burst of them? I get 12 of them and they are the 4.5" rockets.

They definitely will take some time to get use to. They seem to have a mid of their own when it comes to where they decide to fly.

But I assume when using them in head on I'd want to bump the nose up right before I fire them? They seem to fly below where you aim... Hopefully the later rockets get easier to aim. I'm gunning for the Pancake with those Tiny Tims.

What I do that has been effective with the P-38's rockets is perform a roll if my target is either flying away or towards me. That way they sort of spread out, and are more difficult to get away from.

Note: The 4.5" rockets aren't damaging enough to damage ground effectively in its usable tier. You might as well save them for head-ons. If a sector is on the verge of capture you can consider shooting them at some targets to finish the job before someone goof and undo all the efforts.

Would you say its probably better to just throw on the 2x bombs instead of the 4.5" rockets? if the 4.5" aren't that great then it seems like a waste to carry them for head on spray and pray right?

Obviously, their intended purpose is for light and medium ground targets. A creative person might use them to down a bomber or ground attack plane from behind or to down a heavy in a head on pass, but they're not really meant for that. When you dive in to drop your bombs, shoot your rockets off too. The advantage of the rockets is you don't have to get as low and use as much energy to be accurate compared to using bombs and you can launch them from a ways off and get back to shooting down planes. The important thing is to try them out against different types of ground targets to learn how many it takes to destroy certain targets. This will help you know when it's best to save some for later and when you might use them all at once to take out a heavy armored target. Generally only 1 is needed for an AA gun, while up to 4 or 5 might be needed to finish the armored buildings in an AA gun emplacement. In the current version of the game, it seems that most of the penalties for carrying ordnance have been removed and they only reduce your top speed by a little bit now, instead of also affecting maneuverability, so you're probably better off keeping them on board. So, yeah, rockets are for blowing stuff up, point your plane at the bad guys, press the button and hope they actually hit something. They might not always work the way you want, but if you don't fire them, you'll never know.

The thing about rockets us you can pound ground targets before your guns are in range. You can drop down, fire a bunch of rockets on a compound and take it out and skedaddle. Bombs you have to come in and level out and go steady. Rockets much quicker.

If someone is coming head on at you fire rockets. If they hit the guys dead

Rockets do what bombs do but are ever so more versatile and leave you less exposed when using them

i got rockets on my F4U-1 recently and i prefer them over the bombs. I usually swoop in shoot the AA guns out then use rockets to blow up structures since gun fire takes too many swoops. I decided to try and kill someone with rockets and after missing 4 i got the kill with the 5th. felt awesome tbh.

Problem with the rocket for air to air work is the greater lead that you have to pull in order to hit.

It's as much as 3-4 times what you need when compared to .50's and 20mm's.

But when you figure that out, you can use them against bombers and ground attack aircraft with some reliability.

For ground attack I use them first against hardened AA emplacements (the concrete pillboxes), 2-3 are enough to kill them and the guns/canon can finish off the gun itself.

By the time I make my second run, I'd have unloaded all of my rockets and my bombs can be used on the most heavily armored targets.

After that, it depends on my gun/cannons and the targets if I'll hang around and shoot up targets or bug out and wait for my ordnance to regenerate.

If I have 20mm or machine gun's and there are no soft targets, I'll bug out.

If I have 23mm or larger, then I might hang around and kill more stuff.

But if there are a large number of enemy fighters around, then it does not matter I'm going to make one pass and hit everything I can in one run then bug out.

DICTA BOELCKE for WoWP
1. Try to secure the upper hand before attacking.
2. Always continue with an attack you have begun
3. Open fire only at close range, and then only when the opponent is squarely in your sights
4. You should always try to keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be deceived by ruses
5. In any type of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent from behind
6. If your opponent dives on you, do not try run away from his attack, but fly to meet it
7. When over the enemy's lines, always remember your own line of retreat
8. It is better to attack in groups of four or six. Avoid two aircraft attacking the same opponent

I mostly have not been using Rockets to maximise my fighter performance except on Il-2 mod & Beaufighter.

Most fighters I don't spend enough time clear of enemy & close to the ground that I see the value in the performance loss. Especially so in P-38s.

Where I have got them mounted I mostly use them against light ground targets, often probably massively overkill since those can be killed by the cannon not much slower but I've found they don't seem much use against the tougher ground targets, still use spare rockets against those to help finish off the kill though.

Very rarely do I try them against planes & with very limited success, it may be that with more practice I'll suddenly be blowing stuff out of the air left & right but not yet.

Right now, in 2.0.2, bombs only affect top end speed while rockets affect top end speed AND climb rate. The rocket pods on the F-94D do not Most of the under wing rockets do affect climb rates.

​That's a situational case, from aircraft to aircraft. Both bombs and rockets can affect overall flight performance, but certain aircraft are tailor made to carry their munitions with no negative effects.